Patrick Furlong faced emotional strain as a teenager after his parents divorced and his father moved out of state. At about 15 he struggled to knot a tie for a formal school event and became overwhelmed with frustration and tears. Guidance counselor Clyde Archibeque noticed, pulled him aside, gently tied the tie, and offered reassurance with a loving smile. That quiet act of care brought immediate relief and long-term meaning. Twenty-three years later, while helping his own son with a tie for first communion, Furlong vividly recalled the counselor's kindness.
"I sat in front of the mirror and fruitlessly tried and failed, over and over again, to twist the tie into different knots that might make it look like it was supposed to," he recalled. "As I realized that I wasn't going to be able to figure it out no matter what I did, there were these tears of frustration that started to bubble up in my eyes."
"When we got out of earshot, he just asked me if I had my tie. And I think I just started crying at that point," Furlong said. "I pulled the tie out. And I'll never forget the loving, gentle smile he gave me as he tied it for me. And I think all he told me was, 'We're gonna be OK.' And we were."
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